Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-24
A LITTLE BACKBONE.
What Is Necessary to Fight the Texas
STATE LsoeBso Out CT ExisteDcs.

TExARKANA, TEN, o It. p, 1857.
| To the Editor of the Gazette.
AS your paper is great favOrite with
the commercial travellers throughout the
state I wish to denounce the Texas state
license not only cs discriminating scheme,
but IS clear bluff game on the part Of
the state, and they will throw up their
hands If you only let them know you in
tend to do 8 little lighting yourself. My
license Tsn out October 2, and l had
positive instructions from William a.
Wilson & Co, Of Kansas City, Mo,
the firm who l an travelling
! for, not to take out any more
as it had been decided by the United
| States Supreme court that the tax WAS
unconstitutional, aud before they would
allow the state # Texas to collect SIS
| Illegally from them they would, if neces-
sary, spend ten times the amount TO fight
| it, snd all they asked of me was backbone
enough to carry it through,as they would
cheeIfullV pay the expense 10 Lave the
| United S.ases court in Texas TO decide
the case, and If it is right for US to pay
the license they VIII pay it Willingly, but
will not stand any bluff. Armed with
| their letter | started On ny regular trip,
and when or my Way to Tyler | was III
| formed that the constable, packed by
| the county attorney, was still demanding
G license from every commercial traveller
who stopped there and, as had made up
my mind not to skip town or run out
the back door from an officer, but TO &C TO
! jail first, just put on my war paint for
J the fight and went to see my attorney,
| touched him up with 3 little war paint,
and then went to the hotel, got mg SAM
| pies and worked the town, and did not
make any secret OF my not having license,
| but on the other hand lei it be known as
mucn ss possible, and worked all day,and
there was not ca officer ssid word to
Cle, Notwithstanding only the dsy before
every C. s. in town was asked for his
license, but that day there was not g man
asked fer them, and there were four
there.
Lave it from good authority that the
County Attorney heard Of my being there
Dy IL O'Clock in the morning and under
stood l intended TO fight the case and
make test case Of it, so he telegFaphed
to the Agtorney-Genera OF the state that
I was there selling goods without l.
cense and ready fer the fight, and wanted
to know il the state would guarantee the
expenses. Attorney General Hogg tele-
grsphsd back to zrrest ne ct OEce. hut
the state would not guarantee expenses,
and although there was the Sheriff and
one constable in town, the County AttOr-
ney got out of it by saying the constable
who usually attends TO that business
and makes the arrests was out Of
town and he was afraid the constable
that was in town did not hsve money
fr 10 a RI Gal no rxTs
ordered to take me there on writ of
habeas corpus from the United States
Court: he did not say word about the
Sheriff, but said if l would stsy over IN
til the next morning he would hsve me
arrested, as he had sent for the other
constable; and, although had intended
leaving that night, l thought 1 would
stay over and give the gentlemen 8
chance. as did not wish to take any un
due advantage Of them. So layed over
until the next morning at 1885, and
walked around town that they would
know l was still there, but no one made
any attempt to arrest me.
1t is considered By everyone as 8 clean
out and out breakdown On the part OF the
county attorney, and the Attorney Gener-
al was very brave to say arrest at once,
but let some one else run the risk OF pay
ing tie expenses. II the state is right,
why do they want poor, hard-worEing
constable to get himself into trouble ana
pay out possibly as much as he can make
IN two CT three months? The state is
surely much more able to stand it.
l understand there is test case now in
the United States Supreme court from
Texas, but it msy be two years before
that is decided and in The
meanwhile the state of Texas will
collect thousands Of dollars from us
illegally unless we make one Of these
quick cases by allowing yourself to be ar
rested on q proper warrant only, then 60
to Jail and send your attorney for the
writ of hsbeas corpus. By no means
give bond but stay in jail; DON'T ask
others to do what you would not do your |
SELF until you are ordered before the
Unired States court; that will insure 5 !
quick trial, and when you are released by
that court that will end the license Law in |
Texas, at least until the Supreme court
of the United St.tes comes 10 the test
case that is now before them. II we
travellers for outside houses are let alone |
the home travellers will not be bothered |
much. ROBERT G. STOCKTON,